Projectile with radial grooves

ABSTRACT

A small-scale fragmenting projectile capable of remaining intact when contacting a soft target but fragmenting when contacting a hard target. The projectile is made of a hard material and includes a cylindrical body, a head and an end, the cylindrical body having a plurality of grooves extending radially into and substantially around the circumference of the cylindrical body. The grooves are sized and shaped to avoid projectile fragmentation on impact with a soft target but to fragment when impacting a hard target.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION Field of the Invention

The invention relates to projectiles such as bullets, and more particularly, to projectiles fabricated to fragment upon impact with a hard substrate.

Discussion of Prior Art

There are many different types of projectiles that are known in the art. Apart from ball-shaped bullets, large projectiles such as missiles and small projectiles such as bullets have a generally common shape that may be characterized as a cylinder with a front end that tapers to a point. In the case of bullets, the projectile is fired from a rifled or smoothbore firearm. The goal in firing a bullet is typically to hit a target directly. However, to maximize damage from impact of the bullet, modified bullets have been developed that break apart on impact with the target. When the target is relatively soft, such as a hunting target, these modifications involve making the bullet of relatively soft material, including soft metals.

Fragmenting bullets are legal for certain applications, such as hunting. However, fragmenting bullets are not permitted for other purposes. For example, under the Geneva Convention, combatants are not permitted to use fragmenting bullets. Nevertheless, they do exist and some may be effective at inflicting substantial damage to the target. Other than bullets made of easily broken materials, which may disintegrate to the point of being ineffective, there are bullets described in the prior art that have structural variations designed to facilitate fragmentation. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,101, which discloses a fragmenting bullet including longitudinal bullet apertures and scoring to facilitate separation of the bullet body longitudinally. That fragmenting bullet was designed to fragment on impact with a soft target in the form of an animal while being resistant to fragmentation upon muzzle exit due to firearm bore rifling. It appears to be of limited effectiveness unless hitting the target directly as fragmentation appears to require direct impact of the bullet head on the target. Further, it may not be used in combat conditions and remain complaint with the Geneva Convention.

In combat, participants on both sides tend to hide behind structures to minimize exposure to attack. As a result, it is difficult to hit a target because the bullet usually may not penetrate the structure to reach the target. Further, the shooter may end up exposing himself to return fire. It is therefore useful to be able to hit the target in an effective way without the need to hit the target directly. That may happen on occasion because of bullet ricochet, but that is not a reliable way to achieve the goal. Fragmenting bullets increase the likelihood of success, however, as noted, the Geneva Convention does not permit the use of bullets that fragment on impact with the human body. Existing fragmenting bullets are configured to fragment on impact with the body. For that reason, they are so soft or fragment so easily on contact that they disintegrate on impact with a hard structure.

What is needed, therefore, is a projectile that is compliant with Geneva Convention rules. What is further needed is such a projectile that is more effective in contacting a target indirectly. What is still further needed is such a projectile that may be used in conventional firearms.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a small-form projectile that is configured to fragment upon impact with a hard surface or structure and generate fragments that are effective when contacting the target after hitting the hard surface or structure in a manner that is compliant with Geneva Convention Rules. Further, the small-form projectile of the present invention is made for use in conventional firearms such as handguns and rifles.

The small-form projectile is generally in the shape of a bullet that may be shot from a firearm such as a revolver or a rifle, having a cylindrical body, a tapered head and an end. The end and the tapered head are essentially no different from the end and tapered head of any other bullet. The cylindrical body includes a plurality of grooves extending at least substantially around the circumference of the body and radially into the body. Each groove is of a depth and width sufficient to cause the projectile to fragment at the recesses when the projectile contacts a hard structure, such as the ground, a wall, a stanchion, etc. The extent of the depth and width of a groove is dependent on the material used to fabricate the projectile. Further, the widths of the grooves are not so great as to have an adverse impact on the projectile's passage through the bore of the firearm to reach a target. The grooves of any projectile may be of the same or different widths. The projectile may be coated or jacketed with a relatively softer material just thick enough to protect the rifling or bore of the barrel of the firearm.

The projectile is fabricated of material hard enough that it does not fragment on contact with a soft structure such as a body of a target but that is brittle enough to fragment on contact with the hard structure, such that the projectile is compliant with Geneva Convention requirements. Therefore, unlike fragmenting bullets of the prior art, the projectile of the present invention is made of much harder material that does not break on impact with soft materials but that when it does hit a hard surface, the projectile breaks apart in lighter weight, non-aerodynamically stable fragments, which fragments rapidly lose energy so that no relatively longer or medium range collateral damage occurs from a ricochet.

The projectile is configured to enable a user to shoot it from a firearm, miss direct contact with an intended target, whether intentionally or accidentally, but still cause damage to that target when the projectile hits a hard structure near the intended target by fragmenting into a plurality of pieces. The projectile may be made relatively easily using conventional materials and machining techniques.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. The drawings are not drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the small-form projectile according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the small-form projectile coated for use.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the small-form projectile having square shaped recesses.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the small-form projectile.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the small-form projectile.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the small-form projectile having U-shaped recesses.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

FIGS. 1-6 illustrate a small-form projectile 10 according to the invention, including a tapered head 12, an end 14 and a cylindrical body 16, and fabricated of a hardened material. The cylindrical body 16 includes a plurality of grooves 18 that extend radially substantially around the circumference of the cylindrical body 16 into the cylindrical body 16. Lands 20 alternate between the grooves 18.

The small-form projectile 10 is able to be fired from a conventional firearm, however, having the plurality of grooves 18 of the cylindrical body 16 fabricated of a hard material such as steel creates a projectile that is compliant with rules of the Geneva Convention and fragments on impact with a hard structure into a plurality of fragments that have a better chance of hitting a soft intended target than the projectile 10 has while intact. The projectile 10 may be produced for all calibers of bullets or shells by lengthening or shortening the design.

Each groove 18 has a width 22 and a depth 24. Each land 20 has a width 26. The number of grooves 18 is selectable but there may not be so many grooves 18 or their widths 22 may not be so great as to reduce the width 26 of the lands 20 to the point that the ability to shoot the projectile 10 out of a firearm is adversely impacted. That is, there must be enough remaining surface area of the projectile 10 at the lands 20 that the projectile 10 may pass through the bore of a firearm as expected for any bullet and travel in an expected trajectory at an expected rate. The grooves 18 may be of the same or different widths. The depths of the grooves 18 may be the same or different. The lengths of the grooves 18 and lands 20 may be made bigger or small depending on what type of separation effect is desired, and the depth of the grooves 18 may be made deeper or shallower to promote easier or harder separation. The surface of the projectile 10 may be coated or jacketed to protect the bore of the barrel of the firearm. For example, the coating may be copper, lead, Teflon, enamel or other similar types of soft materials.

In one example, for a cylindrical body 16 that is approximately 1.65 inches long and has a diameter of approximately 0.3 inch, the projectile 10 may have four grooves 18 and five lands 20. In this example, the width 22 of each groove 18 may be approximately 0.125 inch wide and the depth 24 of each groove 18 approximately 0.1 inch deep. The invention is not limited to this example.

One or more of the recesses 18 may be squared recesses such that the side walls 28 substantially form a right angle with base 30. Alternatively, one or more of the grooves 18 may also be U-shaped or V-shaped. A V-shaped groove may be particularly suitable for use when an indirect target has a very hard surface.

The projectile 10 is fabricated of one or more materials that break apart in lighter weight non-aerodynamically stable fragments that rapidly lose energy to avoid collateral damage at medium or long range due to ricochet. The one or more materials are hard or strong enough that the projectile 10 does not fragment on contact with a relatively soft material such as flesh or sand. The one or more materials are soft enough that the projectile does fragment at the groove 18 on impact with a hard structure, such as a road, wall or hard ground. For example, the projectile 10 may be fabricated of a hard metal such as steel, including hardened steel and/or tool steel, or cast iron. Other strong but brittle materials may also be suitable; however materials as soft as copper should be avoided.

It is understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention. Variations in the construction of the small-form projectile may be contemplated by one skilled in the art without limiting the intended scope of the invention herein disclosed and as defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is: 1: A small-scale fragmenting projectile comprising: a tapered head; an end; and a cylindrical body joining the tapered head to the end, wherein the cylindrical body includes a plurality of grooves extending radially into and substantially around the circumference of the cylindrical body 2: The projectile of claim 1 wherein the projectile is fabricated of hardened steel. 3: The projectile of claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of grooves is of a squared shape. 4: The projectile of claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of grooves is of a U-shape. 5: The projectile of claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of grooves is of a V-shape. 6: The projectile of claim 1 wherein the plurality of grooves are spaced from each other sufficiently so that lands formed there between are wide enough to ensure the projectile can be fired from a conventional firearm. 7: The projectile of claim 1 wherein the projectile is coated or jacketed sufficient to protect a bore of a barrel of a firearm. 